Like.com is a technology company.
Like.com has raised $47.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Like.com.
Like.com has raised $47.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Like.com.
Like.com has raised $47.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Like.com's investors include Owl Rock Capital Partners.
Like.com was a pioneering technology company that developed a visual search engine for products, enabling users to find and compare similar items like jewelry, handbags, shoes, and watches based on images rather than text queries.[1][2] It served online shoppers seeking price comparisons across thousands of merchants, solving the problem of imprecise text-based product searches by leveraging computer vision technology to match visually similar products, with early revenue reaching around $50 million annually.[2][4]
The company achieved significant growth, raising nearly $50 million from investors including Google, Bay Partners, BlueRun Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures, and Crosslink Capital, before being acquired by Google in 2010 for over $100 million.[1][4][6] By 2015, the site had shut down and redirected to Google's shopping search.[2]
Like.com originated from Riya, founded around 2005 by CEO Munjal Shah and CTO/co-founder Burak Göktürk, who specialized in computer vision and held patents in facial recognition.[1][2][4] Riya initially built a search engine for finding similar faces in photos but struggled with monetization, prompting a pivot: Shah realized the same technology could identify visually similar products, leading to Like.com's launch, first announced at the Web 2.0 Conference on November 8, 2006.[1][2]
Early traction came quickly, with the site indexing two million products from 200 merchants by late 2006 and planning affiliate commissions (about 10% per sale).[2] Notably, Google had nearly acquired Riya in 2005 but backed out, only to return years later for Like.com.[4]
Like.com rode the early 2000s wave of Web 2.0 and visual search trends, bridging computer vision from niche applications (like facial recognition) to mainstream e-commerce at a time when image-based shopping was emerging but underdeveloped.[1][2][4] Its timing capitalized on growing online retail and investor interest in AI-driven search, influencing giants like Google, which acquired it to bolster shopping tools amid competition from eBay's Shopping.com and others.[2][4]
The acquisition accelerated visual search integration into major platforms, paving the way for modern tools like Google Lens, and highlighted how pivots from failed ideas (Riya) could yield high-impact outcomes in the startup ecosystem.[4][6]
Like.com's story exemplifies tech pivots turning obstacles into acquisitions, but as an acquired and defunct entity by 2015, its direct operations ended—its legacy endures in Google's visual shopping features.[2][4] Looking ahead, advancements in AI and multimodal search (e.g., combining images with text) will amplify its foundational influence, shaping e-commerce amid rising demand for intuitive, vision-powered discovery. This visual pioneer reminds us how early bets on computer vision continue fueling today's trillion-dollar online retail landscape.
Like.com has raised $47.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $32.0M Series C in July 2008.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2008 | $32.0M Series C | Owl Rock Capital Partners | |
| Dec 1, 2005 | $12.0M Series B | ||
| May 1, 2005 | $3.0M Series A |
